Post From 2/9/10: Cinematography and Editing

An interesting editing technique that we learned about in class in the Kuleshov effect. The Kuleshov effect is achieved when one image is montaged with another so that the sum of the two images equals more than their parts. For instance, an image of a man looking down can be juxtaposed with an image of an empty bowl of soup is taken to mean that the man is hungry. Both images taken literally, they should not necessarily mean that the man is hungry, but the viewer assumes the man’s point of view and what he sees—the empty bowl—is taken to be an inner thought. It can also be used to develop characters. We watched a video in class of Alfred Hitchcock’s take on the Kuleshov effect. Hitchcock started with an image of a man staring at something. This man’s character can be drastically changed depending on what is seen next. In one montage, an image of a woman and her baby appear afterward. We process this montage as saying that the man was looking at the woman and her baby and so gather that the old man is a grandfatherly figure who is perhaps thinking about his grandchild. However, in the next montage, a woman in a bikini appears after the old man. We think he is a pervert for staring at the woman in bikini! In this way, a character can be developed speedily and convincingly.